Government by Twitter
We have passed an interesting milestone in the evolution of NZ politics. Key’s poll-driven pandering has just been taken to the next level. Political / media dinosaurs will never be able to dismiss “The Twitterati” again.
Open mike 24/09/2015
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Daily Review 23/09/2015
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Flagging a dead horse
Gareth Morgan pulls no punches on the flag fiasco, and a breaking story on the Greens’ move to add Red Peak.
Paula Bennett’s loopy rules do not actually exist
The Government has admitted that at least some of the loopy rules mentioned by Paula Bennett in support of the Loopy Rules review do not actually exist.
Increase productivity. Make builders subject to criminal charges.
Nick Smith is being his usual dickhead self again suggesting that self-certifying electricians, directly subject to criminal prosecution, are the same as self-certifying builders who do not. The Government’s rules reduction taskforce is repeating the same mantras from the 1990s that lead directly to the destruction of productivity by National’s policies to create leaky buildings.
Folding on the TPP
As last ditch efforts to pass the TPP continue, Key is softening us up to sign a bad deal. Coincidentally, two articles yesterday highlight the risks to NZ.
Open mike 23/09/2015
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Daily Review 22/09/2015
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Pandas for everyone
John Key is trying to divert attention away from the numerous problems the country is facing by talking about pandas.
Let Ioane Stay
Ioane Teitiota lives with his family in New Zealand, he works in New Zealand and his children were born in New Zealand but he does not have residence in New Zealand. The Government wants him to return to Kiribati even though that Island is suffering from climate change. Updated with comment from John Key.
Is this what Key meant by investing in research?
Yesterday Key listed, among the “achievements” of his government for this term: “investing in … research and development”. Was this an example of what he had in mind?
Housing Corp’s privatisation by stealth
One News has discovered that over the past five years Housing Corporation has divested itself of 2,472 houses at the same time that the need for social housing has escalated.
Open mike 22/09/2015
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Daily Review 21/09/2015
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Cameron’s political pork
David Cameron is having a bad day. A very bad day.
The flag poll
OK I confess I’m only writing this post because the chance to use that title tickled my fancy. But anyway – almost 70% of us oppose changing the flag.
Fact checking Key on government performance
A year after the last election John Key lists his government’s achievements. It’s a pretty desperate effort.
Open mike 21/09/2015
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Briefing Papers (AUT)
As our media becomes increasingly shallow, you might be looking for some solid content reading on a quiet Sunday. Check out Briefing Papers from AUT.
Twelve long months
Twelve months on from the last election and that brighter future we were promised has not happened.
Open mike 20/09/2015
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The Nation: On Paddy Gower being impatient
The Nation has been putting highlights up on Youtube. The one that caught my attention was Paddy Gower not listening, and redefining his question partway through. Eventually Andrew Little had to force the ever interrupting Paddy Gower to stop and listen to the answer.
Bugger the Truth – Getting elected means fooling the poeple
So, its is not that the voters are idiots, as some suggest the Left are claiming, it is that the Right deliberately lie and mislead to get a vote, on false pretenses. It is the Right who constantly treats voters as gullible idiots, And a media, strangled by shrinking budgets and reduced personnel with less and less time to research rather than regurgitate. Couple that with an increase in non-journalists hogging the space set aside for reporting and elucidating news events… what chance the voter?
Cameron Slater – still technically (and legally) incompetent
Loaded with paper and irrelevant arguments, Cameron Slater managed to add 7 counts of contempt of court to his every growing sheet of convictions. It is a pity that he doesn’t put that level of effort into the technical job of policing his site. I look at 6 of those convictions.
Economic doldrums
Two pieces this week on how National’s mismanagement of the economy has left us in the doldrums.
The Roy Morgan roundabout
The “Roy Morgan roundabout” poll has swung round to the left again, with National at 44.5% (down 6), Labour 31% (up 4) and Greens 15% (up 4).
Open mike 19/09/2015
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Daily Review 18/09/2015
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More Herald journalists sacked
Very bad news for all those losing their jobs, commiserations to you. It’s a pretty heartless economy out there, and pretty soon there won’t be anyone left to comment on it. Consumers of celebrity gossip will still have it good though, so I guess that’s something.
Weekend social 18/09/2015
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
WMBAD: The TPP
The White Man Behind a Desk takes on the TPP.
Herald gets it wrong on flag referendum
The Herald editorial this morning suggests that Andrew Little is handling the flag referendum poorly but makes some stunningly simple mistakes that undermines its conclusions.
Refugees Welcome celebration Aotea Square this Saturday
For all progressives in Auckland Tamaki Makaurau this Saturday the left is running a fundraiser for the Auckland Refugee Council.
Nat insider condemns flag jack-up
Grant McLachlan (a former Parliamentary researcher and a Nat campaign director) calls National’s flag process “a jack up”, and says “Everything the National Party has done around the flag debate is dodgy”.
Open mike 18/09/2015
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